ReedClan: A Twist of Fate
by NinjaKittehz
Summary: Longclaw and Lizardtooth awaken one morning to find themselves in an alternate universe without Glacierstorm. Together they must somehow find a means to return home.
1. Something Amiss

**I'm aware that I have no fans of my work, save for those with whom I dedicate ReedClan to, but Longclaw has told me that this fanfic can really go places. With some quality advice (no flames) or just a positive comment, you can help it go even farther. So read and review!**

**By the way, if things go as planned, this will be the first chapter of three, and in order to understand the big cliffie in this chapter, you're gonna have to read the bios on my page.**

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><p>Longclaw wearily cracked her eyes open, blinking away the remainder of a restful sleep that fogged her brain. The very first thing she registered was a rather heavy burden on her shoulders. A heavy, <em>snoring<em> burden, in fact. "Get offa me!" she snapped playfully, shaking off the ball of brown fluff that lay asleep across her back.

"What was that for?" Lizardtooth asked as he pushed himself to his paws.

"_That_ was for the shoulder ache I'll have for the rest of the day," Longclaw hissed half-heartedly. "And _this_..." She cuffed him on the ear. "...Is just for the heck of it."

Lizardtooth's head and tail drooped. "Meanie..."

"Oh, stop your whining, you little kit."

Lizardtooth was about to make a clever retort when something caught his eye. "Hey... Where's Glacierstorm?"

Longclaw shrugged. "Maybe she just got up before us. Not unheard of."

"No, I mean, where's her nest?"

Longclaw spun around to find an empty patch of den floor where Glacierstorm had falled asleep the night before.

"Okay, that's just _weird_.

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><p>A small moan escaped Longclaw's throat as she stretched the kinks out of her back. Feeling instant relief from Lizardtooth's previous use of her as a nest, she let out a sigh of contentment and followed him to the fresh-kill pile that lay in the center of camp. As she was picking out a fresh, plump squirrel, she spotted in her peripheral a gray tabby emerging from the leader's den. It appeared at first to be Jayfrost, but a second glance revealed the tabby's fur to be too light in color to be the retired ReedClan leader. Longclaw did a double-take.<p>

It was Rainfrost.

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><p><strong>I know it's short, but don't forget that it's still in progress. What do you think so far? Good, bad, neutral, iffy? Be a dear and let me know!<strong>


	2. Things Change

**Hi, I'm back. I know just about nobody has read any of my stories (not even the real ReedClan...), but for those who are: I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please, do enjoy!**

**And, on one final note, I'm willing to bet some people didn't really understand the cliffie in the previous chapter. Here's a brief explanation: Dawnsky and Rainfrost were both attacked and killed by a vicious rogue. Bluetail, who witnessed the whole event, avenged them by killing the battle-weakened rogue and becoming deputy in her own right.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p>"Mind if I eat with you guys?"<p>

Lizardtooth watched Rainfrost pick out a vole from the fresh-kill pile as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The tabby settled down with his meal and began to eat, only to stop a few bites in and look up, giving Longclaw and Lizardtooth a wary gaze.

"Is something wrong?"

Longclaw blinked once, then jumped as if she were jolted out of her thoughts. "Wha - oh! Just...savoring that vole of yours. Looks veeeeeeeery plump...veeeeeeeery juicy."

Lizardtooth wondered briefly if his sister had bees in her brain. Before he could say a word, however, Silverstar butted in from out of nowhere.

"Lizardtooth, Longclaw! I've been looking all over for you." He turned to his brother. "Do you mind if I take these two hunting?"

This struck Lizardtooth as odd. Why would Silverstar have to ask _Rainfrost _for authority? And for that matter, why was Rainfrost even _alive_?

"Not exactly a formal patrol, Rainfrost said after swallowing a bite of meat, "but it might be a good idea. I'll tell Dawnsky when I'm done here."

Longclaw and Lizardtooth exchanged perplexed glances. _Dawnsky_ was alive, too?

"Thank you." Silverstar dipped his head in respect and turned to the two warriors, both of whom stood frozen in shock. "Come with me," he growled, stalking off toward the camp entrance.

Lizardtooth glanced nervously at Longclaw before following.

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><p>For several long moments the trio walked through the forest in awkward silence, until at last they came to their destination: a thick, tight clump of reeds by the riverside. With a flick of his tail, Silverstar went in.<p>

Lizardtooth squeezed into the clump after Longclaw, the long stalks poking at his fur. Inside, it was dark and airless. The reeds were so tight that they blocked the daylight, leaving only a few sparse rays of sun to seep in. The fluffy brown tom was pressed up against his sister in the enclosed space.

"What's going on?" Silverstar asked.

"How do you expect _us _to know?" Lizardtooth demanded, earning himself a hard whack upside the head from Longclaw's tail.

"And _that_ is for speaking out of line. _Way _out of line."

Lizardtooth mumbled angrily under his breath.

"Silverstar, have you seen our sister?" Longclaw asked, pointedly ignoring her younger brother. "We figured she had woken up earlier this morning, but her nest was gone."

Silence filled the tiny space. Lizardtooth shifted awkwardly and bumped into Longclaw, who gave him another whack.

"Two things..." Silverstar began, regaining their attention. "First, my name is not Silverstar. I never became leader - my brother did."

Something in Lizardtooth's brain clicked. He recalled Silverstar - no, Silver_fang_ - addressing Rain_star_ as his superior. Suddenly a portion of the confusion that fogged his mind was cleared.

"And about your sister..."

There was a hiccup in Silverfang's voice before he spoke again, his uncharacteristically throaty growl softening significantly. He sounded as if he were lost in a terribly memory.

"...She died as a kit."

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><p><strong>And so ends chapter two. If you have gotten this far, please remember to read and review! No need for anything too long and special (please don't type until your fingers fall off). Just a little "hello" will do. Tell me what you liked or disliked about this chapter. It helps me improve upon my writing skills. :)<strong>

**Until later!**

**- Glacierstorm**


	3. A Twist of Fate

**This is going to be the final chapter (maybe) but before I begin, I would like to do a little thing I call the "Reviewer's Rave"!**

**To_ Starlight Warrior 1092 ~ _Thank you for your kind reviews! And don't worry, this chapter is going to be quite a bit longer than the others (I think).**

**To _asdfghjkl _~ Thank you so much for the words of encouragement! The problem is that ReedClan is mostly based off of real people, most of whom I don't really know very well. This is why I mostly write about Longclaw and Lizardtooth, because I know them relatively well. Which brings us to my next review...**

**To _Anonymous_ ~ You know I know that's you, Lizardtooth. Neeeeeeeeeeeeerd. :P**

**To _AkalaGirl23 _~ You are a very fun character to write for, big sis. :D  
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**Don't forget, folks, read and review!**

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><p>Gone.<p>

It was all gone.

All the moonlit hunts on sleepless nights, fighting side-by-side, pushing through even the fiercest of battles...gone, all gone. None of it was real.

Glacierstorm was only a dream.

As Longclaw sat reflecting on the life that had only lasted several short moons, but felt so real, she unconsciously tuned into Silverfang's tragic tale.

"We were just kits..." he said, his growl now little more than a timid mewl. "...But none of that mattered to Curledtail. That mouse-brain of a warrior told us..."

"...To collect moss by yourselves, completely unprotected. You split up to gather more, but she fell in the river and you weren't quick enough to do anything about it." Longclaw's voice sounded, and felt, mechanical and void of life.

"You remember?"

"I remember that she hit her head on a rock. Jaystar managed to pull her out, but her hearing was compromised."

"Wait a minute, _Jaystar_?"

Longclaw nodded slowly, noticing the questioning look in Silverfang's eyes.

"I have never heard of any cat by such a name," he stated, bewildered.

"Then who was leader at the time of the accident?"

Silverfang's eyes darkened again, his voice returning to a throaty growl. "Tinyfoot," he snorted, grimacing as though the name left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Browndapple was sick that day, so Tinystar left Curledtail in charge of the camp and left to lead a patrol. Her biggest mistake was letting that fox-heart lead the Clan, but if she had patrolled in the opposite direction, she would've been able to save Glacierkit. Because of her, a young and promising life was lost that day, and I swore I would never follow in her pawsteps."

"Which is why you're not Clan leader," Lizardtooth concluded.

"Exactly."

For awhile, all was silent, until Silverfang spoke again.

"You said that this 'Jaystar' was the one that saved your sister's life?"

Longclaw and Lizardtooth both nodded.

"Then she just might be the anchor that sets our worlds apart," he growled thoughtfully.

"Our worlds?" Lizardtooth repeated hesitantly.

"Yes. I believe that you may be from a reality parallel to mine."

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><p>"A parallel reality, you say?"<p>

Longclaw studied her paws, avoiding her medicine cats' eyes, knowing that they would surely ridicule all three of them for this ridiculous theory. Off the corner of her eye, she saw Silverfang nod solemnly. A long silence followed. Then Daybreeze spoke again.

"You're probably right."

Longclaw's head snapped up. "W-what?"

"It's not impossible," the elderly she-cat explained. "StarClan doesn't just act as a guiding force for the Clans, you know. They are also a bridge between worlds. And as a bridge can be crossed going one way, it can be crossed going the other way, as well." She turned to her young apprentice. "Firepaw, prepare five bundles of poppy seed and bramble syrup. We're taking a trip to the Mooncreek."

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><p>Carefully lugging a leaf wrap in her jaws, Longclaw climbed the slope that led to the mouth of the Mooncreek. Her paws were starting to ache from the journey, but she pushed onward, intent on returning to her own world. At the top of the slope, she could see the creek twist and turn, its water flowing gently, to meet with the river. She frowned as she thought of the little kit that had lost her life in the raging waters below.<p>

Daybreeze dropped her leaf wrap gently on the ground and signaled for the others to do the same. "This mixture is meant to calm the mind, relax the body, and ease a cat into slumber. Firepaw has graciously included a bit of moss to the concoction, with which you shall dip in the waters of the Mooncreek and drip into your wrap. If Silverfang's theory proves true, you will meet with StarClan in your dreams. Only they can return you to your original reality."

Longclaw grasped the moss in her teeth and leaned over to soak it in the Mooncreek. Following the process demonstrated by the medicine cat, she dripped the water into the mix of bramble and poppy, then lapped it up. The sweet taste of the water almost made up for the bitter taste of the bramble syrup. Within heartbeats, her vision began to blur and she lay down to sleep.

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><p>The next thing Longclaw knew, she was standing in a beautiful meadow, under the shade of a large oak tree, along with Lizardtooth, Silverfang, Daybreeze, and Firepaw. She could feel Lizardtooth press up against her side and gave him a small lick between the ears.<p>

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling her dark tabby fur and carrying a sweet scent. It felt familiar...warm and milky...

"Yes..." Daybreeze whispered. Her pale green eyes were fixed on a spot on the horizon and wide with apprehension. Longclaw followed her gaze and saw a small figure of a young cat outlined against the setting sun. As it drew closer and closer, she could see its soft white fur gleam in the orange light of dusk and realized why its scent had felt so welcoming to her...

It was Glacierkit.

Silverfang was the first to move, padding up to the small kit and touching noses with her. His dark brown eyes held the energy that Longclaw had come to expect from the Silverstar of her world. Glacierkit nuzzled into his silver-and-black fur, purring as he licked her on the head with the care and gentleness of a queen to her kit. No words were exchanged between the two, but the looks in their eyes conveyed their emotions and warmed Longclaw's heart.

After a moment, Glacierkit shook Silverfang off and turned to address the group as a whole.

"The time has come," she said, her voice so precocious, so young and innocent. "Daybreeze and Firepaw, you have done well to bring my siblings here. You are both truly worthy of your roles as medicine cats." She then turned her bright blue gaze, which glimmered with life and with love, upon her sister and brother. "Longclaw...Lizardtooth...this is not where you belong. It is my duty to guide you two back to your own world. Follow me."

The little white she-cat turned tail and padded away. Longclaw followed, in step with Lizardtooth. The grassy meadow seemed to stretch on forever, although Longclaw's paws never seemed to throb or pulse as they skimmed the dewy blades of grass. At long last, she saw a tall willow tree just over the horizon, its leaves blowing in the breeze. And there, standing by the base of the tree, stood seven cats. Along with Daybreeze, Firepaw, and Silverstar, Longclaw recognized the telltale golden gleam of Dawnsky's coat, Rainfrost's bright blue eyes, and...

...Glacierstorm. Never happier to see their sister's bleachy-white coat and orbs of baby blue, Longclaw and Lizardtooth bolted to her side, covering her in relieved licks, like parents to a kit.

"The time has come for you to return home," Dawnsky said, her voice warm with wisdom, separating the reunited trio. "You must return to the realm of consciousness, and all shall return to normal."

The last thing Longclaw saw was Rainfrost's eyes, warm and shining, before his tail touched her nose and everything went white.

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><p>Longclaw blinked the cobwebs out of her eyes as her senses returned to her. The first thing she felt was the weight of Lizardtooth across her shoulders. She was tempted to shake him off like she had before, but instead she decided against it. <em>He has gone through a tiring ordeal, <em>she reflected. _We both have._ Taking a glance around, she found Glacierstorm sound asleep in her own nest, her face buried in her paws. A warmth spread through Longclaw, from paws to tail-tip.

She was home.

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><p><strong>The End.<strong>


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